peter51
New Member
Hello everybody. I live in Australia, and I am an active member of AULRO - Australian Landovers owners forum.
I have an idea as a service to UK Landover enthusiasts that may become a small business when I retire in the future. But first I need to get some idea of who may be interested in the following concept.
I know there is a fair bid of sporting argy bargy between our two countries, so keep the feedback clean please.
I spent 5 years in Saudi Arabia working with British Aerospace, and I have been at the receiving end of many jibes regarding antipodean virtues before. However thank goodness the Queen decided to send Captain Cook and then the First fleet here slightly ahead of the French‼!
I am a mad keen Landover enthusiast with vehicles near Brisbane and in the far north in Cairns.
Like most of you, I have bought, sold and maintained by myself, many Landrovers including all Discos, classic RR and the P38.
My sons and I regularly disappear into the wilds of Australia whenever we can.
Around the campfire admiring an outback sunset, I wondered how difficult it might be for Landrover enthusiasts from the UK who were thinking of coming to Australia to also experience the outback in a Landrover as conveniently as we do.
The problem is getting the right vehicle and advice before arriving here.
The distance is the next problem.
If you are on limited time then you would rent a Land cruiser from Cairns for about £105 per day plus £1055 insurance excess if you hit a kangaroo, wild pig, tree, drown it in a river crossing etc. Also the roads you can travel on are restrictive i.e. you cannot do the old telegraph track which is a benchmark in off-road tracks.
To give you an idea of distance - Brisbane to Cairns is 1000miles and from Cairns to the tip of Australia is 1100 miles return - 95% dirt road and min 10 days return over slow rough roads. Side trips to say Cape Melville bring average speeds to 10 km/hr. See youtube for videos of trips to Cape York.
For those you have toyed with the idea of travelling here to experience the wild areas of Australia, I was wondering how many of you might be interested in having someone find the right vehicle for them prior to flying down under
By buying a Landrover outright from say Cairns, you could be in the wilds of Cape York or the Gulf of Carpentaria within 5 hours of landing in Cairns. Top end travel would be in the dry season only from early June. Rest of Australia would be anytime.
The main problem is finding a good Landy from private sellers and not junk on eBay etc - vetted for good drive train and cooling systems, air-conditioning etc. - well maintained by previous owners.
You specify the Landrover type and budget. I find the car. Here is the commercial bit - You pay for it plus registration (min 6months about £300) and of course negotiated fee to facilitate the whole process.
Except for Defenders, Discos are pretty cheap here, but there are plenty of poorly maintained ones amongst them. - so, I could find you a basic reliable D1 V8 for about £1500 or a TDI for about £2500 I would recommend a new radiator, water pump, hoses fitted prior to the trip - I would give you a report on recommended parts if need be. You could bring some spares with you as the prices are far cheaper in the UK.
A fully kitted expedition, drive over or through anything TDi with two ARB lockers, snorkel, mud tyres , 2 inch lift etc etc can be bought every now and then for 5500pound registered.
When it is time to go home, I guarantee to buy it back from you for resale, or to pass onto the next chap. The price would be negotiated depending on how much damage it has sustained simple!
So to all on this forum who would be interested?
I have an idea as a service to UK Landover enthusiasts that may become a small business when I retire in the future. But first I need to get some idea of who may be interested in the following concept.
I know there is a fair bid of sporting argy bargy between our two countries, so keep the feedback clean please.
I spent 5 years in Saudi Arabia working with British Aerospace, and I have been at the receiving end of many jibes regarding antipodean virtues before. However thank goodness the Queen decided to send Captain Cook and then the First fleet here slightly ahead of the French‼!
I am a mad keen Landover enthusiast with vehicles near Brisbane and in the far north in Cairns.
Like most of you, I have bought, sold and maintained by myself, many Landrovers including all Discos, classic RR and the P38.
My sons and I regularly disappear into the wilds of Australia whenever we can.
Around the campfire admiring an outback sunset, I wondered how difficult it might be for Landrover enthusiasts from the UK who were thinking of coming to Australia to also experience the outback in a Landrover as conveniently as we do.
The problem is getting the right vehicle and advice before arriving here.
The distance is the next problem.
If you are on limited time then you would rent a Land cruiser from Cairns for about £105 per day plus £1055 insurance excess if you hit a kangaroo, wild pig, tree, drown it in a river crossing etc. Also the roads you can travel on are restrictive i.e. you cannot do the old telegraph track which is a benchmark in off-road tracks.
To give you an idea of distance - Brisbane to Cairns is 1000miles and from Cairns to the tip of Australia is 1100 miles return - 95% dirt road and min 10 days return over slow rough roads. Side trips to say Cape Melville bring average speeds to 10 km/hr. See youtube for videos of trips to Cape York.
For those you have toyed with the idea of travelling here to experience the wild areas of Australia, I was wondering how many of you might be interested in having someone find the right vehicle for them prior to flying down under
By buying a Landrover outright from say Cairns, you could be in the wilds of Cape York or the Gulf of Carpentaria within 5 hours of landing in Cairns. Top end travel would be in the dry season only from early June. Rest of Australia would be anytime.
The main problem is finding a good Landy from private sellers and not junk on eBay etc - vetted for good drive train and cooling systems, air-conditioning etc. - well maintained by previous owners.
You specify the Landrover type and budget. I find the car. Here is the commercial bit - You pay for it plus registration (min 6months about £300) and of course negotiated fee to facilitate the whole process.
Except for Defenders, Discos are pretty cheap here, but there are plenty of poorly maintained ones amongst them. - so, I could find you a basic reliable D1 V8 for about £1500 or a TDI for about £2500 I would recommend a new radiator, water pump, hoses fitted prior to the trip - I would give you a report on recommended parts if need be. You could bring some spares with you as the prices are far cheaper in the UK.
A fully kitted expedition, drive over or through anything TDi with two ARB lockers, snorkel, mud tyres , 2 inch lift etc etc can be bought every now and then for 5500pound registered.
When it is time to go home, I guarantee to buy it back from you for resale, or to pass onto the next chap. The price would be negotiated depending on how much damage it has sustained simple!
So to all on this forum who would be interested?
